Urban Indian women are the most powerful force driving digital engagement across the country, spending nearly 50 per cent more time than men on platforms spanning entertainment, messaging, and e-commerce, according to a joint report released on Monday, 18 May 2026. The findings, from consumer behaviour analytics platform VTION and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), are drawn from data analysed across more than 1 lakh consented smartphones representing over 407 million urban Indians.

Entertainment and Commerce Lead the Gap

Women averaged 82.4 minutes per day on entertainment-related content — with the 25–34 age cohort peaking at 86.3 minutes daily. The sharpest divergence between genders, however, emerged in e-commerce and quick commerce. Urban women aged 25–34 in megacities averaged 35.2 minutes per day on shopping platforms, compared to 24.8 minutes for urban male users — a gap of 42 per cent, according to the report.

Older urban consumers — those aged above 35 — anchored the entertainment category, consuming content for 77–78 minutes per day. Meanwhile, younger users aged 18–24 dominated social media, clocking an average of 120 minutes per day, well above the overall urban average of 97.9 minutes per day.

AI Apps Emerge as the Fastest-Growing Digital Habit

Artificial intelligence applications recorded over 100 per cent growth between April 2025 and March 2026, making them one of the fastest-expanding digital categories in urban India. Urban users spent an average of 11.3 minutes per day on AI applications, with usage currently concentrated among 18–34-year-olds and higher-income urban households.

Notably, conversational AI is reshaping how consumers discover brands and products. According to the report, users are increasingly turning to AI tools before opening traditional search engines or e-commerce platforms — a behavioural shift with significant implications for digital marketing and brand strategy.

Payments Stay Consistent Across Income Groups

Payment app engagement showed a markedly different pattern from other categories. Unlike entertainment or commerce, usage remained largely consistent across higher, middle, and lower-income urban household segments — suggesting that digital payments have achieved broad adoption across the urban income spectrum, rather than remaining concentrated among affluent users.

What the Data Signals for Brands and Platforms

The VTION-IAMAI report underscores a structural shift: urban Indian women are not merely passive consumers of digital content but active, high-frequency users whose engagement levels now set the benchmark across multiple high-value categories. For advertisers, platforms, and quick-commerce players, the data points to women aged 25–34 in megacities as a primary growth segment. The rapid rise of AI-driven discovery also signals that brands relying solely on search and social media for visibility may need to recalibrate their strategies as conversational AI becomes a mainstream entry point.